Venice is a fantastic place to be. We had been to the city several times before so just left the ship and used the shuttle bus to the centre and walked around St. Mark's and fell in love with the city all over again.

I do not think a guide is needed. Perhaps it is just my age, but I no longer feel I have to know when a building was built! It is fun to walk around the city and discover for oneself the hidden parts. A magical place not to be missed.

It was very hot and crowded so be prepared to cope with the ever moving mass of people. Worth it!

The main reason we chose this cruise was to go to Dubrovnik, Croatia and Kotor, Montenegro. We were not disappointed.

Again, we did not think a guide was necessary even though we had never been to this place before.

We took the shuttle bus to the centre. We bought tickets to walk the walls. Dubrovnik is a walled city and the walk is very interesting. It was around 38c (106f), and it was more like "Only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the noonday sun"! We were not the only ones doing this walk! The walk is easy even though I use a cane. We drank two full bottles of water doing that walk!

After the wall walk we walked through the town and came upon ethnic dancers. It was interesting and fun. Do not miss this city.

A friend who had been on a similar cruise advised me to not miss the entry into the port. So I got up at 05:45hrs and went outside. It was worth it! A beautiful port entry with islands and gorgeous scenery.

That is really the best part of this place. We took the shuttle to the city centre and walked around. Not much to see.

The Cruise Director brought to people's attention that if they had not seen the entry into the port they should certainly watch the exit!

It was boiling hot in Monte Carlo. We walked from the ship along the harbour and then got on one of the touring buses which is a "get on get off" trip. It was very interesting. It is difficult to explore by foot because everything is on a slope there! Actually, it was the only organised tour we took. Expensive but worth it.